Explanation:
Captured in colorful telescopic portraits,
two cosmic owls
glare back toward planet Earth in this
intriguing comparison of
planetary nebulae.
On the left is M97 in the
constellation Ursa Major,
also known in the northern hemisphere as the Owl Nebula.
On the right is its visual counterpart, the
southern Owl Nebula
in the constellation Hydra, cataloged as PLN 283+25.1.
Both nebulae are remarkably
symmetric, round, and similar in size,
some 2 light-years across or about 2,000 times the diameter
of Neptune's orbit.
Planetary nebulae
are produced during a final phase in the
life of a sun-like star, an example of the fate that awaits
the Sun when it runs out of nuclear fuel in another 5 billion years.
Both images were made using narrowband
filters and different color mappings.
The image of the southern Owl also includes broadband data,
bringing out the surrounding star field.